


Lore's Day

by LJS1138



Series: ST: TNG - Sons of Soong Saga [3]
Category: Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28414701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJS1138/pseuds/LJS1138
Summary: By request from a reader, this short follows a typical day in the life of Lore on board the Enterprise-E.
Series: ST: TNG - Sons of Soong Saga [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/717111
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Lore's Day

**Author's Note:**

> Writer note: I began writing this before Lower Decks came out and had always wanted to put Exocomps in my story. I do plan to do a longer story after this, but I'm not that prolific, so bear with me.

**_Personal log of Lore, Stardate 58665.2. Recording for transmission to Staff Captain Phillipa Louvois, care of the JAG office of Sector 23 at Starbase 173 as part of the requirements for my probation on the USS Enterprise. This entry will include a complete record of my activities during a standard day, with particular emphasis on my perceptions during social interactions._ **

**_Alpha shift is spent with Lt. Commander Geoffrey Bechtel in Stellar Cartography._ **

Lore strode through the corridor of Deck 11, then stopped at ‘Stellar Cartography’. The doors whooshed open, allowing him access into the dim foyer that separated the lab from the hallway. After the entryway from the corridor closed, he crossed to the door on the other side, which opened more slowly but without any accompanying sound. He stepped across the threshold into the dark lab. An average-height, thin human male with short-cropped light brown hair waited near the main 3-D holographic display in the center of the circular room.

“I hope that’s you, Lore.” Commander Bechtel turned to look toward the foyer door. “In the dark, you look like Commander Data. And I know I should be able to spot who’s who by now, but you know how it is… human vision.” The wrinkles around his blue eyes became more pronounced as he grinned.

“Don’t feel too bad, Commander.” Lore took his place at his usual workstation along the perimeter. “I can’t tell us apart, either.”

That brought a chuckle from Bechtel. “That’s a good one.”

“I’m being serious.” Lore shot a quick sideways glance at the Commander. “When I met B-4, I thought he was Data. I once mocked my father for not being able to tell us apart, but the joke was on me.” 

“Pretty rough.” Bechtel gestured, rotating the celestial bodies suspended in the air in front of him. “All right, beginning the scan of the Eridan Belt. Elevate point two five degrees.” After a minute had passed, he called out the next instruction. “Now elevate point two six degrees.”

**_In many ways, being in Stellar Cartography reminds me of my early days with Missy Bickel on Omicron Theta. The need for this area to be soundproof makes it one of the few places on the ship that I can’t hear the constant drone of extraneous conversations. Just like Missy, the Commander seems at ease around me and pleased with my work._ **

The gravimetric readings continued for an hour, after which Lore aligned the sensors for the next section. “Commander Bechtel?”

“Yes, Lore?” Bechtel kept working as he replied.

“I wanted to thank you for allowing me to work here.” Lore forced the words out. “I’m sure when it came time for me to be assigned somewhere, you drew the short stick.”

“Not at all.” Bechtel stopped the display adjustment to face Lore. “I requested you.”   
  
“What?” Lore’s eyes widened as he searched the man for signs of lying. “Why would you request to have me here? Don’t I frighten you?”

“No more than anyone else on this ship.” Bechtel returned focus to the display. “I couldn’t pass up the chance to have an assistant like you. Efficient, able to see in low light and precise with mathematics and calculations. You’re the only one capable of doing what needs to be done here.” 

Lore let a moment of silence go by before speaking. “How long have you been a Lieutenant Commander?”

“Hmm?” Bechtel aligned the grid with meticulous precision. “Almost ten years, why?”

“Just curious.” Lore watched the lights appear in the sector, then set the sensor pattern to match. “Didn’t you ever want to command a ship?”

“Nah, it takes a certain kind of crazy to be a starship captain.” Bechtel gave a soft laugh. “I’m devoted to my science and that’s good enough for me.” He brought up the next area of space. “Now, let’s see how the rest of Ponor sector looks, then move on to the Hobus sector.”

**_The Commander’s vital signs indicate that he’s telling the truth. I know that I’m capable of so much more than assisting organic humanoids, but it’s nice to be wanted somewhere. To be valued by someone. My time in Stellar Cartography lasts until the start of Beta Shift, at which point, my first task is to go to Counselor Veluna for our daily session._ **

The walk from Stellar Cartography to the Counselor’s office gave Lore time to ponder the new Starfleet uniforms. Most of the crew now wore the new 2-piece black uniforms with division-colored diagonal shoulder pads and a matching diagonal stripe on each cuff. The combadge remained unchanged. Lore still sported the science-blue civilian duty coverall with black underclothing, a fact that bothered him less once he’d seen other civilians and NCOs in the same outfit. He stopped in front of Veluna’s door and pressed the panel on the wall to sound the chime. 

A moment later, the counselor’s voice came through. “You may come in.” Veluna stood as the android approached and held out her hand to him. “Hello, Lore. How are you, today?”

Lore took Veluna’s hand to shake it gently, then released it and settled into his usual chair. “The same.”

Veluna sat, facing him. “It’s normal to struggle for some time with your feelings, when one has been through what you have. Where would you like to begin this session? Have you made any progress in any of the areas we’ve spoken about?”

“A little.” Lore slouched lower into his chair. “The easiest one seems to be giving up on grandiose objectives. It’s just like on the Pakled ship. The less ambition I have, the happier I seem to be.”

“Why do you think that is?” Veluna reached for the cup of tea on the table by her chair. 

“Maybe because all the ambitions I had weren’t really mine. I was doing what I thought _ he _ wanted me to do. To follow in his footsteps.” Lore raised his hands to his face. “But every time I’ve tried, all I’ve done is cause destruction. Then all the ‘what ifs’ drop on me. I could’ve had Evelyn send our findings about the Crystalline Entity to a science journal. It could have won her accolades. It’s a horrible feeling, to see all the choices I never envisioned while everything was taking place. All the missed opportunities.” He lowered his hands to his lap.

“I know it’s hard when regrets pile up, but you’ll need to accept the past and forgive yourself. The key is to use those experiences to make better decisions in the future.” Veluna took a sip of her tea, then placed the cup back on the table.

**_The Counselor has been helping me to alter my expectations and beliefs. Sometimes I get annoyed that I’m required to come here and blather for an hour a day, but a part of me doesn’t mind. There’s something about Counselor Veluna that makes me hopeful that things will improve._ **

“And what about the feeling of wanting to destroy the Federation or biological life?” Veluna tilted her smooth head to the right, observing Lore with her ebony eyes.

“That’s still difficult for me to come to terms with.” Lore shut his eyes. “I… I don’t really want to destroy anything. But it’s like I’ve lost something. My purpose. I don’t have the imperative he put in the emotion chip, but I still remember how it felt to know my true calling.”   


“Do you still feel it’s your true calling?” Veluna kept her voice soft.

“Building a race of fully artificial lifeforms? No.” Lore let out a short guffaw. “I can’t even get along well with the only other sentient androids in existence. Now that I’m repaired, I can extrapolate better. My plan with the Borg would never have worked. What was I thinking? There’s no way to turn them into fully synthetic lifeforms. Of course, Data knew how to make more androids, but it didn’t occur to me to go that route. And never mind that neither of us has the experience to raise that many artificial lifeforms into full sentience. No matter how many we made, we couldn’t beat the reproductive rate of biologicals. In addition to that, with sentience comes free will and at some point, we’d have an artificial civil war over my plan to eradicate organic humanoids or destroy the Federation.”

“Why did you want to eradicate us?” Veluna posed the question as one of curiosity, without shock or anger.

“I…” Lore began, paused and squeezed his eyes shut. “Because I was angry at all of them. Angry at  _ him _ .” Despite his effort, the tears emerged from his eyes. 

Veluna reached out to place a hand on Lore’s shoulder. “Your anger is justified.”

“But my reaction wasn’t.” Lore opened his eyes, blinking away the fluid. “I had a world of choices but I only reacted to how I felt.”

“That’s right.” Veluna nodded. “I know T’Mera gave you an amygdala program that lets you dim your emotions, but I think it’ll be more helpful to continue as we’ve been doing. Let yourself feel the anger, hold off on any reactions and use the holodeck to work through your feelings. Not just in releasing the anger and hate, but also use it to experience joy or peace.” She paused to observe his face. “I’ve sensed less turmoil within you in the past week. I think the therapy has been helping.”

“It has been.” Lore wiped the fluid from his cheeks. “Thank you, Counselor.”

“Lore, I want you to know that I think you’re incredibly brave.” Veluna removed her hand. “Before you were repaired, you had said it would be a painful transformation into a good, little android. A puppet, like Data. What a terrifying prospect for anyone to have to face, and yet you submitted yourself to the procedure.”

“Desperate, not brave.” Lore scowled at the counselor, then let his expression go neutral. “I had nothing left to lose. I expected the subroutines to make me freeze or crash if I misbehaved, but they aren’t like that. They just give me a multitude of choices available during any interaction.”

**_Counselor Veluna is right about how terrifying the idea was to me. I thought that Data’s programs forced him to do whatever the humans told him to do. He once told me that he was “obligated to report” to his captain. I mistook that as meaning that he, as an android, was forced into subservience. Having spent the past couple of months on the Enterprise, I now understand that his obligation was not due to being an android, but due to the command chain structure of Starfleet._ **

**_I’ve found it helpful to go to the holodeck immediately after our sessions, since there’s always something that we dredge up that causes me anger, guilt or sorrow._ **

The panel for holodeck four showed a ‘Testing in Progress’ message. Lore turned to leave for one of the other holodecks, then noticed Doctor Chipman’s name listed on the readout. After a pause to deliberate, he pressed the comm panel. “Lore to T’Mera.”

“Yes, Lore?” T’Mera’s contralto emanated from the panel. 

“I’m outside holodeck four.” Lore furrowed his brow. “I… I’m curious as to what you’re testing, but I don’t want to ruin anything you’re working on.”

“Ah, come on in, then.” T’Mera responded. “It’s nothing sensitive.”

**_My feelings about T’Mera are complicated. For all that she argued with Data about it, she didn’t insist on repairing me until after I’d been reactivated by a third party. She didn’t offer until I was standing there on the Enterprise, confronting her. Of course, she could have overpowered me and taken me apart, but she talked to me instead. Once I decided to go through with the repairs, she did argue on my behalf. She’s the only one in my life who promised me something and then followed through, but I have trouble trusting her because she’s Data’s partner. Still, she’s been truthful with me, so I tend to seek out her company._ **

Lore’s dour expression faded as he passed through the automatic doors and past the arch into a starship. The interior of the ship had both touch panels and coordinating mid-air holographic displays. Dr. Chipman sat at the helm while a 1.8542 meter tall male with receding strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes stood to her right. In addition to the holographic crew, two crude-looking machines rolled along the ground while one hovered above an engineering station. Each one had a boxy body that tapered to a faceted cone in the front, with several progs sticking up from the main body, a micro-replicator in its circular frontal aperture and two comical, oversized feet.

**_When the Exocomps first arrived, I couldn’t understand T’Mera’s excitement. Alive or not, they were nowhere near the complexity of me and my brothers. In true human sentimental fashion, Doctor Chipman named them Huey, Dewey and Louie. Still, I have to admit they’re good at what they do. Unlike me, they have a purpose that they’ll never stray from._ **

“Reg, we need to fix the opacity of this display.” T’Mera lifted her right hand to press against the floating instruments. “From this angle, I can barely make out what I’m touching. And I need way more tactile feedback.”

“All right.” Reginald Barclay gestured at something out of view. “Ah, try it now? Turn your head.”

As T’Mera moved her head, the display followed to match. “That’s a bit better. Not as much latency. I’d still like it to be a tad more opaque and much more tactile. I mean, this is okay for a pleasure cruise, but try to imagine the ship in a heavy firefight with the bridge full of thick smoke. If I can’t see, I’ll need to be able to feel the controls and know them by muscle memory.”

“That’s on the list.” Barclay let out a sigh. “I’m getting an error in zone 225.” A moment later, one of the displays fizzled out, followed by all the rest. With a few shakes of his head, the diagnostic engineer muttered, “It shouldn’t do that… it shouldn’t do that.”

“Well, we got it to work longer during this test, Reg.” T’Mera leaned an elbow on her chair. “It’ll come, in time. Let me know when you need my help again.”

“Thanks, T’Mera.” Barclay wrung his hands. “I appreciate it. Jupiter Station out.” With that, his form vanished.

“Computer, end simulation.” T’Mera stood as the ship’s bridge disappeared, replaced by the room full of emitters. “Live long and prosper, Lore. How’s things?”

Lore held up his right hand in the Vulcan salute. “Peace and long life, T’Mera. I’m… functioning. How are you?”

“Doing well.” T’Mera walked towards the arch with the three Exocomps following behind her. “Made progress on the tactile hologram UI system, finished the self-scan and customizable options for ship emergency holograms and someone sent me requests for three entertainment media transfers.” She studied Lore for a moment. “Functioning isn’t quite the same as fine. Anything you want to talk about?”

Lore felt the usual irritation surge. “It’s the same thing it’s been since you fixed me. No, since before you fixed me. I still don’t have an answer to your question.” Seeing her slanted brows knit together, he elaborated. “And then what?”

T’Mera quirked one eyebrow. “There’s no rush to answer it, is there?”

“I suppose I should work on my impatience.” Lore felt the anger begin to subside. “I have time to figure it out. There’s still almost five years to serve on my probation. Where are you going next?”

“I feel hungry, so I was going to get something to eat.” T’Mera crossed under the arch, causing the doors to whoosh open. “You’re welcome to join me in the crew lounge, if you want.”

Lore shook his head as he followed her into the corridor. “I don’t have to eat and I’m still not ready to be around so many of the crew at once. Everyone will stare at me.” 

“Once they get more familiar with you, they won’t.” T’Mera waited for the doors to close, then tapped the panel to initiate the cleaning mode of the holodeck. “I think B-4 is visiting Data right now, if you wanted to go say hello to him.”

Lore deliberated for a moment. “Checking in with my brothers seems like a good idea. See you later, T’Mera?”

“Of course.” T’Mera waved and made her way down the corridor to the forward turbolifts while Lore headed aft to take the turbolifts to Deck 4.

**_If my feelings about T’Mera are complicated, it’s exponentially more complex where my brother, Data, is concerned. I’ve envied him, pitied him, been furious at him, needed him, hated him and missed him. But for the first time in our lives, I’m truly getting to know him._ **

Lore paused outside the quarters that Data shared with Dr. Chipman and pressed the wall panel. He waited until he heard Data call out “Enter.” then advanced through the automatic doors. “There you are, brothers.” Both of his android siblings knelt near stacks of paintings leaning against a wall, with B-4 on both knees and Data on one knee. With amusement, Lore noted that several locks of B-4’s hair hung loose around his face, instead of being slicked back..

“Greetings, Lore.” Data rose to his full standing position. “How are you functioning, today?”

“Dandy.” Lore grunted. “I didn’t know B-4 was supposed to be giving an update today.”

“I’m not.” B-4 flipped through the various paintings. “But I have my own room now, and Emily said I should decorate it, so I called to ask Data how to do that. He said I can choose any painting I like and he will send it to me.”

“Your own room?” Lore pulled out the nearest chair and sat with an audible thud. “Nice of the humans to do that instead of sticking you in a closet.”

“Lore, I was never in a closet.” B-4 shook his head. “I stayed in Emily’s room with her, but I’m a big android now and she can have her privacy. It’s also more convenient for me, since I can attend classes and study all night and not have to sleep with Emily.”

“True. Human mating habits can be time consuming.” Lore reached out to check some of the paintings in the stack closest to him. 

“I did not mate with her.” B-4 frowned as he regarded Lore. “I just lay next to her for the hours she needed to sleep.” His fingers stopped flipping halfway through the next batch. “Who is this?” He held up an oil rendition of a young woman with a dark pageboy with bangs. 

“That is Lal.” Data replied. “My daughter. I created her, but she suffered a cascade failure.”

B-4 put the painting back in its place. “I am sorry, Data. Who is this one?” The next one in the stack showed a dark-haired, blue-eyed woman in a white, hooded cloak standing on a rock jetty on a stormy ocean day. 

Data tilted his head to the right. “That is one that I call “Daughter.””

“How many daughters did you make?” Lore leaned to see the artwork. “There was only one of them in the Daystrom vault.”

“Lal was the only offspring I have constructed.” Data’s eyebrows lowered a millimeter. “This work is part of a two piece; One in which she is turned away and this one, where she is facing the observer. She was inspired by a dream I had, in which I had been biological and in which Lieutenant Yar had not been killed. In the dream, Tasha and I had produced a child. My subconscious mind hypothesized the genetic appearance of such a pairing. Captain Picard has the other painting. Would you like this one, B-4?”

B-4 shook his head and placed it back in the stack. “It’s a nice painting, but I think it is too personal to you. I will keep looking.” 

Lore folded his arms across his chest and stared at Data. “Are you going to make more androids with T’Mera’s help?”

“I do still have the wish to procreate.” Data approached Lore, giving B-4 more space to search. “However, we will wait until we feel the time is right.” After a brief pause, he switched the subject. “If you wish to have a painting for your quarters, you are welcome to choose one, Lore.”

“I don’t spend any time in my quarters, so there’s no need to decorate them.” Lore slumped in the chair. 

Data titled his head to right in a sharp movement. “It is important to spend some time in leisure, Lore.”

“I’m in leisure now.” Lore rolled his eyes at Data. “Quality time with my brothers.” 

B-4 held up a pencil sketch. “This is me?”

“That is Doctor Soong, as he appeared in the initial activation of my dreaming program.” Data glanced from the painting to B-4, “With your hairstyle as it is, you do resemble him even more closely than before.”

B-4 replaced the drawing. “I never knew him and I haven’t dreamed, so I don’t think I want this.”

“Speaking of hair, where’s that red hat?” Lore turned his attention from the sketch to his brother. 

“I decided you are right, Lore.” B-4 perused the next batch of works. “I will be studying law at Cambridge University, so I need to look more serious.” He pulled out an oil on canvas showing dark clouds floating in a sunset red sky with black silhouette birds flying over a lake which reflected the flock and the sky. “Oh! I like this one. Could I have this one, Data?”

Data smiled at the choice. “Of course, B-4. I will wrap it and send it on a transport as soon as I am able.”

“Thank you, Data.” B-4 set the flock painting aside and straightened out the others into their neat stacks. 

Lore folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t understand what you mean by studying law. All you have to do is download the information. Why bother doing it like humans?”

“Having all the information is not the same as being able to use it, Lore.” B-4 lifted himself from the floor. “I’ve got a multitude of law books and legal writings in my provisional storage. That will help when I need to refer to precedent, but law is…” He paused, while his yellow eyes oscillated slowly until he found the proper word. “Fluid. It can change. Knowledge alone is not enough to achieve justice. It must be tempered with morality and compassion. I must be able to formulate an argument and debate points. That is why I must study and observe.” 

Lore’s eyebrows knit as he contemplated the words. “I think I see. Good luck with it, B-4.”

“Thank you, Lore.” B-4 grinned at Data. “I’ll see you again when it is time for my update. Bye.” He waved at both brothers as the holographic communication faded.

**_B-4’s presence has a way of diffusing the tension between myself and Data. My rivalry with Data is nothing new. Even on Omicron Theta, he was Father’s golden child… pun intended. But I don’t feel that way about B-4. Like me, he was discarded by our father. His ability to process information is only slightly faster than that of a human, but he seems to have figured out what he wants to do with his time. He knows his purpose. Unlike me._ **

Data focused his unblinking yellow eyes on Lore. “I am skilled enough at sarcasm to recognize certain forms. For example, when you answered my question earlier with “Dandy”, I surmised that not only are you not dandy, but by the tone of your voice, it is highly probable that you are experiencing the exact opposite state. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you dislike your current duty positions?”

“My two duty shifts are fine.” Lore averted his gaze from Data and watched the sleeping form of Spot. “I think Commander Bechtel even  _ likes _ me, which is a refreshing change.”

Data’s eyebrows twitched. “I am pleased to hear that. Commander Bechtel has earned a reputation of being difficult to work with. That you and he are compatible is a relief.”

“I don’t find him difficult to work with.” Lore rose from the chair and stopped a meter from the cat tree where Spot continued to slumber. “There’s nothing you can do for me.” 

“Lore--” Data began to speak.

“I said there’s nothing you can do for me and I don’t want to talk about it with you!” Lore interrupted, then let out a sigh as the burst of anger faded. “I’m doing the best I can, all right?”

“Yes, Lore.” Data responded in a calm voice. “You are doing the best you can and I am proud of you.”

Lore felt the resistance of pride, but pushed past it. “Thanks. I think I’m going to go work this out in the holodeck for a while.”

“Very well, Lore.” Data stooped to rearrange the paintings as his brother exited into the corridor.

**_Beta shift is the most difficult one for me. Aside from my daily counseling session, I have no specific duties. Despite the fact I need no rest or diversion, they insist that I use the time for leisure and hobbies. Unlike Data, I wasn’t given creative subroutines and it took me almost a week before I decided on a pastime._ **

After finishing his catharsis in the holodeck, Lore strolled to the science labs and made his way to one of the biology stations. With a tap, he brought up the holographic interface. “Computer, display test runs from experiments sixty-two through ninety-four.” His yellow eyes scanned the readouts in microseconds. “Yes!” A wide grin spread on his face.

A female voice with just the slightest lilt of a Tau Ceti II accent broke into his exclamation. “Finally some good results, Lore?”

Lore pointed to the monitor. “Very good results, Lieutenant Taitt. These sequences will be viable.” 

Taitt moved closer to Lore to see the display. “Impressive. You’ve only been working on this for two weeks.”

Lore’s face fell into a frown as he pulled his lips together into a thin line. “I didn’t do this from scratch. I just needed to reconstruct Kieran Cooke’s work from Omicron Theta from what I remembered, with help from the logs they’d downloaded into Data.”

“It’s a shame this Cooke didn’t send his work to anyone.” Taitt lifted a finger to scroll through the list of genetic sequences. 

Lore let out a long sigh. “He was one of the nicer colonists, but he was on Omicron Theta for a reason. He worried about his work being stolen, so he kept it quiet until the time came for him to present the final product.” His shoulders hunched involuntarily. “But that time never came. I… “ Lore squeezed his eyes shut as the wave of guilt and sorrow washed over him.

Taitt’s hand shifted from the hologram to the android’s shoulder. “Lore. Lore. Look at me.”

Lore opened his eyes and stared at Taitt, “You know what I’ve done.”

“Yes, Lore, I know what you’ve done.” Taitt’s deep brown eyes met his. “I was only six weeks out of the Academy when you tried to get Commander Data to help you with the Borg. I had quite a crash course in being a bridge officer, including trying to figure out a way to blow up your Borg ship. I can also see that you’ve changed. That you  _ wanted _ to change.”

“I do.” The overwhelming emotions ebbed as Lore let the final bits of regret vanish, then returned to work. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

**_I realize that hobbies should be something considered enjoyable and possibly superfluous, but for now, my hobby will be to finish Cooke’s work on his special seeds and send the information to the terraforming team on Omicron Theta. In the future, the quince trees will grow there, the hexatriticale stalks will stand in rows and some vintner will be able to press these concord/muscadine hybrid grapes into sweet wine again._ **

**_Fifteen minutes before the end of Beta shift, it’s time to gather by the turbolift near the crew lounge. I was shocked that Picard would agree to placing me on the bridge, or that Data would trust me in such a position. I find that I don’t mind Gamma Shift, since it’s a smaller crew of junior officers with Lieutenant Commander Sam Lavelle as officer of the watch and Ensign Murphy as security and tactical._ **

The six members of the night watch packed the turbolift in silence as they ascended to the bridge as a unit. Lore stayed in the back near Ensign Murphy, whom he had grown to appreciate over the past weeks. When the turbolift doors opened, they emerged and marched to their respective stations. Lavelle made his way to the raised Captain’s chair to receive the report from Security Chief Deni Hagan.

Chief Hagan faced Lavelle. “All systems are normal, sir. We continue our patrol along the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Sensors are gathering information, but everything’s been quiet. Sickbay reports that Ensign Szabo suffered a sprained ankle during training exercises.”

“Very well. I have the bridge.” Lavelle took his place in the Captain’s chair.

“Aye, sir.” Chief Hagan joined the crew from his shift in the turbolift.

Lore perched on the stool at Science I and continued the sensor sweeps and long range scans, giving a sideways glance at Ensign Murphy to his left at tactical.

“Begin night watch.” Lavelle commanded. 

The illumination level on the bridge dimmed. As the majority of the biologicals on the ship slept, the small crew worked in quietude, with only the faint blips and beeps and the underlying rumble of the warp engines as a backdrop at first. After a short span of time, the ensigns at helm control and ops began to chat with each other. Lore adjusted the lateral sensor arrays to assist with the long range scan, targeting areas along the Romulan Neutral Zone.

A high-pitched staccato beep emanated from ops, interrupting the conversation. “Commander, sensors are picking up a burst of subspace communications from Romulan space.”

Ensign Murphy tapped their console. “Odd. It’s a distress call.” The beeping abruptly ceased. “And it stopped.”

A moment later, a different alert tone sounded from ops. The young ensign ran a finger along the console. “Sensors are picking up more subspace communications. Encrypted. I can’t tell what they’re saying, Sir. And they’ve just cut off, as well.”

“Run it through to my station.” Lore piped up.

“Take us out of warp.” Lavelle made his way to Science I. “Reroute the signals to Lore.”

“Aye, Sir.”

Lore’s yellow eyes oscillated as he ran the coded communications through his positronic net. “Processing…” His head jerked upwards. “The distress call is from a Subcommander Mirok. He does not list a vessel name or registry number. Working on the encrypted messages now.” Lore’s fingers became a blur on his panel. “The messages say, ‘We have lost contact with them.’ ‘They’ve vanished.’” Lore settled his gaze on Lavelle. “It seems to be originating from sector Z-6. The Romulan homeworld system.”

“Give me a long range scan of the Romulan system.” Lavelle peered down at the readout. 

“Aye, Sir.” Performing the scan distracted Lore from his pride. “Odd. A small group of Romulan Science vessels are converging on a point about fifty-one kilometers from their sun.” He paused as another set of scan results returned. “Are you seeing this? There’s a gravimetric disturbance in the core of the Romulan star.”

“Where.” Lavelle frowned. “I don’t see it. Are you sure it’s not background solar radiation?”

“Positive.” Lore snorted. “Watch this. I’m bringing up the last time the system was scanned on stardate 56844.9 and matching it to the one we just did. Now, I compensate for inherent solar radiation and there’s the disturbance.”

“I still don’t see it.” Lavelle sucked his lower lip into a thin line. “Confirm sensor readings. I want to make sure the array is working properly.”

Lore bristled at the young Commander’s order, but complied. “Confirmed. Both the forward and lateral sensors are functioning at optimal efficiency. Would you like me to confirm them again, until the disturbance gets large enough for you to see?”

Lavelle narrowed his eyes at the android, “Murphy, will you come look at the readout?”

Ensign Murphy walked to Lore’s station. “I’m afraid I don’t see it, either. My visual range is not much better than humans in this form.” Their body melted into a gelatinous amber liquid, transformed to that of an eagle and flew to perch on Lore’s shoulder. After a moment, they flew back to tactical and resumed their humanoid form. “I saw it, Commander. It’s extremely faint. Barely perceptible. But it’s there.”

Lore’s mouth widened into an upturned smirk. 

Lavelle tapped his combadge. “Bridge to Commander Data.”

“Data here.”

Lavelle pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry to bother you, Sir, but Lore has found some kind of disturbance in the Romulan sun.”

“Acknowledged. I am on my way.”

Lavelle walked back to the captain’s chair. “Send a general hail to the Romulans.”

Murphy pressed the comm panel. “Channel open.”

“This is Commander Samuel Lavelle of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We have picked up a distress call from Subcommander Mirok.” Lavelle clasped his hands behind his back. “Do you require assistance?”

The image of a female Romulan with delicate features and Northerner’s forehead ridges replaced the horizontal lined grey wall. “This is Commander Donatra. We are handling the distress call. We thank you for your offer, but your assistance will not be needed.” The transmission ended just as Data arrived on the bridge.

Lavelle gestured to Data as he led him to the science station. “I just wanted to confirm what Lore saw.”

Data gave a single head nod to Lore, then quirked his left eyebrow. “Most intriguing.”

“What do you mean ‘most intriguing’?” Lore slapped his hands against his sides. “Do you see it or not?”

Data fixed his gaze on Lore. “I do see the gravimetric disturbance in the sun. However, I am puzzled as to what could be causing it.” After a moment’s deliberation, he spoke. “We will continue to monitor their communications and inform Starfleet Command of what we have observed.” He paused, then offered his brother a slight smile. “Excellent work, Lore.”

That brought a smile to Lore’s lips for a moment as he went back to his duties.

**_I’m hoping this will suffice for you, Captain Louvois. I still have no concrete plans for the future, but given my past plans, perhaps that’s for the best. All I can offer is that I’m learning, trying to change for the better and trying to grow into a productive member of the Federation. End of transmission._ **


End file.
